Journal lubricator



June 17, 1958 c. D. Foss 2,839,342

' JOURNAL LUBRICATOR Filed July 19, 1954 \-=\?\.'IF 32 557 I I 34 ki 33 1 Y i as w 23 ENVENTOR a 22 cum 0. FOSS 23 L2 BY V r l H $7M," yklw ATTORNEYS United States Patent JOURNAL LUBRICATOR Curtis D. Foss, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application July 19, 1954, Serial No. 444,065

Claims. (Cl. 308-91) This invention has to do with devices for lubricating journal boxes, particularly those of the type employed in railway cars.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel, efficient device for applying oil or lubricant to an axle or journal from a supply located in the journal box and spaced below the journal.

While it is common practice, particularly in railway freight car journals, to employ lubricant-soaked waste in the journal boxes, there has been a tendency in recent years to utilize lubricating oil in the car journal boxes. Several attempts have been made to provide an efficient oiler or device for raising the oil from its normal level below the axle to the axle surface, to insure lubrication rather than relying upon splashing oi' the oil, but so far as I know, the apparatus devised heretofore has had serious disadvantages or defects. One disadvantage is the fact that such devices are difficult to install or remove, often being bolted to the journal box. Also, with some such devices it is impossible to jack up the car for the purpose of replacing the bearing without first removing the lubricating device. Still others require a special design of journal box and are thus unsuitable for installation on standard equipment. Also, so far as I know, all such devices heretofore devised have a relatively short life due to such reasons as improper mounting, improper types of material, or faulty design.

It is therefore a particular object of this invention to provide a novel lubricating device for a railway car journal box. and journal which does not have the above-noted disadvantage of other devices with which I am familiar.

Another object is to provide a lubricating device embodying a roller which runs partially submerged in the pool of lubricating oil and in contact with the journal which does not have to be fastened in place in the journal box.

A further object is to provide such a device which is resilient and need not be removed when the car is jacked up for the purpose of changing the bearings or for some other purpose.

Still another object is to provide a lubricating device that can readily be installed in or removed from standard journal boxes without altering the boxes, jacking the car or using tools.

A further object is to provide a device which is relatively inexpensive and durable.

These and other objects will be apparent from the drawing and the following description. Referring to the drawing:

Fig. l is a central sectional view of a railway car journal box with the end of a journal or axle therein and showing a device embodying the invention in position in the journal box;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed sectional view of a portion of the device, the section being in the same plane as that of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the device.

2,839,342 Patented June 17, 1958 More particularly describing the invention, numeral 11 generally indicates a railway car journal box and projecting thereinto is a car axle or journal 12 which has a reduced portion 13 which runs against the hearing or brass 14. In the journal box is a pool of lubricating oil 15 and this is retained by the journal box cover 16 at the outer end of the box and by the seal 17 at the inner end.

Positioned within the journal box is the lubricating device 25 which embodies the invention. This device includes a. roller 21 which runs in contact with and is driven by the journal, and roller support means in the form of laterally spaced plates 22. The latter are formed of rubber-like material which will not be attacked by the lubricating oil, such as synthetic rubber, and these are quite stiff but flexible to be bent for installation and removal. The material may have a shore hardness of about 70 although this is not critical. The plates 22 are shaped to substantially conform to the inner surface of the journal box, having a pair of straight side edges 23 and a lower, convexly curved edge 24. Each plate is recessed concavely along its upper edge at 25 to freely' receive the journal section 13 with some clearance.

The roller 21 is supported upon a shaft 26 which is:

This shaft extends through appropriate holes in the plates 22 and may have a head 27 at one end. The other end is secured in any suitable manner as by a pin 28. The roller itself includes a main body 30 which is preferably resilient but relatively hard and may be made of the same material as the plates. A peripheral somewhat softer layer 31 which may be formed of so-called sponge rubber but of a synthetic type which is not attacked by oil is provided about body 34 The interior of the main body of the roller has an axially extending bore 30' which is of greater diameter than the shaft 26.

The roller 21 is supported upon bearings at each end and I prefer that these hearings be of the anti-friction type. By way of example, I show an inner race ring 32, an outer race ring 33, and balls 34 therebetween. Also, I prefer to have the inner race extend axially beyond the ends of the body of the roller for engagement with the plates 22 and to stretch the shaft 26 when it is installed. As a result, the roller 21 readily rotates on the bearings and the inner race rings thereof serve to maintain the roller spaced inwardly of the inner surfaces of the plates 22.

At their upper ends the plates are connected by a pair of rods 35 which may also be made of synthetic rubber. These rods each carry a block 36 of hard rubber or other suitable material. The blocks are so proportioned as to fit against the side of the journal box and leave only slight clearance with the axle and thus serve to prevent lateral displacement of the axle.

For the purpose of making the end walls or plates 22 somewhat more flexible than would otherwise be the case,

I provide them with a plurality of apertures 38, since one i of the features of the invention is the fact that the device may be installed or removed from the journal box by appropriately bending and flexing the rods 35 and plates 22. Also, once the device is installed it remains in place until removed. The peripheral portion of the roller runs in contact with the journal and is rotated thereby to apply oil to the surface of the journal. In this connec tion it may be pointed out that the plates are so proportioned that, when installed, the peripheral portion of the roller is pressed against the journal and thus yields to the journal providing a substantial area of contact as can be observed in Fig. 2 of the drawing, thereby insuring rotation of the roller.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred form of my invention, I contemplate that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope thereof" as indicated by the following claims.

I claim:

1 A journal lubricator device adaptedto fit in ajournal box beneath an axle projecting thereinto, comprising a pair of, laterally spaced plates adapted to stand upright beneath and transversely of the axle in the journal box, said plates being formed of resilient material and each having a recessedupper edge to freely receive the journal, a roller rotatably mounted between said plates for peripheral engagement with said axle, a pair of resilient rods connecting-said plates, and a block on each rod, said blocks being of a size to substantially extend from the side of the journal box. to the axle whereby to provide abutment means limiting lateral displacement of the axle when said device is installed in a journal box beneath an axle projecting thereinto.

2. A journal lubricator device adapted to fit in a journal box beneath an axle projecting thereinto, comprising a pair of laterally spaced plates of rubber-like material adapted to stand upright in the journal box beneath and transversely of the axle, said'plates each having a recessed upper edge shaped to conform to the curvature of the axle: and adapted to freely receive the axle, a resilient shaft of rubber-like material stretched between said plates, and a roller mounted on said shaft between the plates for engagement with the axle.

3. A journal lubricator device as set forth in claim 2 in which an anti-friction bearing is disposed between said shaft and said roller at each end of said roller and in which the inner race of each bearing extends axially beyond the roller for abutment with the adjacent plate whereby to hold said plates spaced outwardly of said roller.

4. A journal lubricator adapted to fit in a journal box beneath an axle projecting thereinto, comprising a pair of laterally spaced end plates of rubber-like material adapted to stand upright beneath and transversely of the axle, said plates each havinga recessed upper edge to freely receive the lower part of the juorual portion of the axle, a rubber-like shaft extending between said plates, and a roller carried on said shaft for peripheral engagement with the journal portion of the axle.

5. A journal lubricator as set forth in claim 4 in which a rubber-like rod extends between said plates on each side of said roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 332,646 Dougherty Dec. 15, 1885 357,999 Pynchon et al. Feb. 15, 1887 575,858 Small Jan. 26, 1897 642,134 Kinney Jan. 30, 1900 2,050,275 Christy Aug. 11, 1936 2,160,220 Leister May 30, 1939 

